Dermatology PAs and other healthcare professionals who attended the SDPA 19th Annual Fall Dermatology Conference in Los Angeles returned to work with expanded knowledge of best practices, trends and other information related to superior patient care. Some attendees likely had to make extra room in their suitcases for unexpected, yet welcome prizes won as a result of skill, intuition, and perseverance! As part of the conference experience, SDPA offered several interesting onsite and virtual contests designed to measure skill and engage attendees. Congratulations and thank you to everyone who participated! Here’s a look at the contests and winners:

Identifying “Mel the Mole”

Back by popular demand, Mel the Mole reappeared in LA to test Derm PAs on their accuracy identifying mole images in a challenging multiple-choice quiz. Aside from bragging rights and the coveted “Mole Master” trophy, the winner also received a DermLite Dermatoscope and a Coolibar care package. Second, third, fourth, and fifth place winners also received a DermLite Dermatoscope. The winners:

• First Prize: Julia Lee, PA-C
• Second Prize: Mandy Criado, PA-C
• Third Prize: Emily Hoffman, MPAS, PA-C
• Fourth Prize: Angela Mills, MPAS, PA-C
• Fifth Prize: Heather Haberman, MPAS, PA-C

Sneaky Snake Sleuths

LA conference attendees competitively searched for Sherman the Snake in the lobby, hallway, and Exhibit Hall throughout the three-and-half-day conference. Each of the Derm PAs listed below located the sneaky snake and traded him for a Nintendo Switch Lite.

• Karma Kristufek, PA-C, of Indiana (pictured to the right)
• Scott Whipple, MPAS, PA-C, of Texas
• Vanessa Rando, PA-C, of Massachusetts
• Andrew Rackham, PA-C, of Las Vegas

Mexico Art Wins #DrawYourDestination

Nurse Practitioner Nicole Giardino, of Massachusetts (pictured to the left), displayed her artistic talent in the #drawyourdesgination challenge by creatively drawing a lovely picture of Mexico! After receiving 45 likes on SDPA’s Facebook page, Giardino claimed her $500 airline voucher.

APP Gamification Winners

Virtual and onsite attendees used their skills to compete in multiple gamification challenges to finish fun tasks throughout the 19th Annual Fall Dermatology Conference. The winners…

• First Prize - Melissa Veneracion with 1,295,320 points for the Oculus Quest 2 Virtual Reality Headset.
• Second Prize - Christy Joseph with 775,270 points for the Bose Quiet Comfort 35 Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones.
• Third Prize - Amy Weierman with 510,320 points for the Apple AirPods Pro.
• Fourth Prize – Emily Brewton, MPAS, PA-C, with 471,060 points for the Yeti Cooler.
• Fifth Prize – Bethany Triana with 469,290 points for the Nintendo Switch Lite.